How Green Public Procurement Became a Crucial Pillar for Bhutan’s Sustainable Development Strategy

This case study describes the 'GPP in Bhutan (GPPB)' project led by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD). The project aimed to scale up green public procurement (GPP) in Bhutan by providing research, policy support, training for civil servants and suppliers, and technical assistance for pilot infrastructure projects to align public spending with sustainable development goals.

• Public procurement in Bhutan has a significant economic impact, accounting for approximately 21 per cent of the national GDP and between 60% and 70% of the government's annual budget.
• The GPPB project focused on capacity building, training nearly 100 civil servants and 57 representatives from higher educational institutions. To ensure long-term implementation, a GPP curriculum was institutionalized at the Royal Institute of Management (RIM), and a knowledge platform was launched on May 23, 2017.
• Research conducted by the project indicated that Bhutan's existing legal framework already supports the implementation of GPP, suggesting that the primary barrier is a need for a change in mindset rather than new legislation.
• The project provided practical tools and technical assistance, including the development of handbooks with green product criteria for items such as apparel, paper, and air conditioners, as well as criteria for green infrastructure like hydropower plants and roads. This included three pilot projects: two with the City of Thimphu and one with the Ministry of Works and Human Settlements' Department of Engineering Services.
• The project achieved high-level political endorsement, with the Ministry of Finance officially endorsing 10 GPP recommendations in 2015 and the National Council of Bhutan passing a seven-point resolution regarding Public Procurement Policy and its Systems.

APA

Casier, L. (2017). How Green Public Procurement Became a Crucial Pillar for Bhutan’s Sustainable Development Strategy. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/gpp-bhutan-sustainable-development-strategy.pdf

Chicago

Casier, Liesbeth. How Green Public Procurement Became a Crucial Pillar for Bhutan’s Sustainable Development Strategy. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2017. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/gpp-bhutan-sustainable-development-strategy.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Casier |first1=Liesbeth |title=How Green Public Procurement Became a Crucial Pillar for Bhutan’s Sustainable Development Strategy |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=September 2017 |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/gpp-bhutan-sustainable-development-strategy.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{casier2017how, author = {Casier, Liesbeth}, title = {{How Green Public Procurement Became a Crucial Pillar for Bhutan’s Sustainable Development Strategy}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2017}, month = sep, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/gpp-bhutan-sustainable-development-strategy.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }